


of light after the dark

by Kaslyna



Category: Penny Dreadful (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, Gen, Love Confessions, Season 3 AU, Sir Malcolm scaring the living shit out of Ethan in a fatherly conversation, Wedding Night Smut, Weddings, happy endings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-10
Updated: 2018-09-23
Packaged: 2019-07-10 13:38:12
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15950456
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaslyna/pseuds/Kaslyna
Summary: "He’s not naive; he may not have been privy to the exact nature of their relationship, but Sir Malcolm knows that no matter what they’ve been through, Miss Ives and Mr. Chandler (Mr. Talbot, he reminds himself, though having met the man who sired him, he can understand the man’s need to distance himself from that name) care about one another a great deal. And really, who is he to judge them for taking their happiness where they can get it? Especially after what they’d been through, and after Ethan had refused to give up on her and saved her. It seemed only natural they’d end up together, so Sir Malcolm lets it be."Or, the one in which Ethan saved Vanessa instead of killing her, and they finally get to be together. Sir Malcolm Murray sees too much one morning, setting off a chain of events that leads Ethan and Vanessa to make important decisions about their lives going forward.





	1. of fathers and intentions

**Author's Note:**

  * For [fullmoonrisin](https://archiveofourown.org/users/fullmoonrisin/gifts).



> This time fullmoonrisin gave me three different prompts, which I decided to combine into one end of S3 AU. Forgive me for not going into detail about how they saved Vanessa, but I honestly only made it an end of S3 AU because it was the way to write it that made the most sense to me. (For what it's worth-I actually plan on eventually writing a longer, more detailed, grittier end of S3 AU, but this is not it. Consider this a bonus AU, to tide you over till I get the time to write the longer one the way I want to.)
> 
> The prompts were:  
> 1\. Malcolm having a fatherly talk with Ethan about his intentions with Vanessa  
> 2\. The first time they say "I love you"  
> 3\. Vanessa and Ethan getting married
> 
> The third one will be covered in the second chapter, and the E rating is for the third chapter. I'll try to have both up in no later than a week.
> 
> Without further ado, enjoy!

At first, he ignores it. He’s not naive; he may not have been privy to the exact nature of their relationship, but Sir Malcolm knows that no matter what they’ve been through, Miss Ives and Mr. Chandler (Mr. Talbot, he reminds himself, though having met the man who sired him, he can understand the man’s need to distance himself from that name) care about one another a great deal. And really, who is he to judge them for taking their happiness where they can get it? Especially after what they’d been through, and after Ethan had refused to give up on her and saved her. It seemed only natural they’d end up together, so Sir Malcolm lets it be.

 

There are times he almost says something; he walks in on them in the parlor on the sofa about to kiss, judging by the somewhat startled looks on their faces. Sometimes they can just look at each other too long and Sir Malcolm has to leave because of the sheer intimacy of it. He is almost envious of what they have; in all his life he has never made anyone so uncomfortable as to make them leave the room just by gazing at his beloved. But still, he ignores it. 

 

He ignores it up until one morning, perhaps two months after Ethan and his return to London, when he rises early. Sir Malcolm decides he may as well start his day despite the fact that the sun is barely risen. He has hired another man to do Sembene’s former duties, such as cooking, and he decides to go see about breakfast. Sir Malcolm dresses and leaves his room. He stops short almost immediately. At the other end of the hall is Miss Ives, clearly trying to leave Ethan’s room stealthily. Sir Malcolm might’ve still just ignored the very clear evidence of them being lovers, except for the fact that Vanessa turns and looks at him. 

 

A startled look passes quickly over her face before she hides it, feigning indifference. She is in her undergarments, what looks to be her clothes from yesterday in her arms. Oh, there is  _ no _ way to ignore this anymore. Sir Malcolm is half tempted to wake Ethan-if he isn’t already awake, and that thought is mildly nauseating-to have a conversation with him, but decides it can wait until a later hour. He will also have a conversation with Miss Ives about discretion, he decides, as she continues to stare at him. 

 

“I was just going to see about breakfast,” he says, stupidly. The last thing he wants to do is acknowledge this as reality, but he could not bear the silence any longer.

 

“Alright,” she nods, and offers nothing else. 

 

They spend another few excruciatingly uncomfortable moments in a standstill, both waiting for the other to move on or say something. Miss Ives is the one to break it, turning and continuing slowly into her room. Sir Malcolm sighs, a headache blooming behind his eyes as he goes downstairs. It’s going to be a long day.

 

-o-o-o-

 

“Tell me,” he sighs, staring at her wearily. At first Ethan had thought that Miss Ives’ behavioral shift had been the usual one to who they were to the public-up until the moment he got her alone, and she still remained distant to him, almost cold. It was puzzling, and more than a little concerning.

 

Her brow is furrowed in worry and she’s wrapped her arms around herself, standing near the fireplace in the parlor. It is just after lunch; they are the only two in the house, and he had tried to kiss her. She’d dodged him, and then moved away. Ethan wants, badly, to reach out and try to touch her again, but he’s afraid of spooking her further. His only options are to try to persuade her to share what’s troubling her, or wait her out, and he’s not particularly fond of the latter these days.

 

As he waits for Vanessa to decide if she’ll respond, Ethan mentally runs through what he’s seen of her today. She’d let him wake her up early this morning and after they’d sleepily sated their mutual desire, they’d lain tangled together for a while before she insisted that since the sun was starting to rise, she should go back to her room to dress for the day. Miss Ives had seemed receptive to his response suggesting she could move some of her things into his room. She had laughed at him when he had tried to pull her back into his bed when he insisted she come kiss him goodbye before she left. Once their day started, their moments together were few; late nights and early mornings were their time, and they always made the best of it.

 

After that, he’d seen her at breakfast. She had been reserved, but that was not abnormal. Sir Malcolm was present, after all. Then Miss Ives had had an appointment with the alienist, and Kaetenay, who insisted for some reason upon staying in London, had called on Ethan, and he’d dealt with that. Lunch had been even quieter than breakfast; Ethan was never in a good mood when he had to spend time with Kaetenay, and he’d been so absorbed in his thoughts he honestly couldn’t say whether or not Vanessa’s reservedness was unusual in any way at that point. Sir Malcolm and his new man had gone out on some errand and Kaetenay had left after lunch. 

 

That left them where they were currently, in the parlor, Miss Ives curled in on herself, clearly struggling with something, and Ethan desperately trying to understand what he could’ve done wrong to upset her. It had to have been him, after all, if she was both refusing to let him near her and answer his pleas to open up to him.

 

“Vanessa, darlin’-”

 

“Don’t,” her voice cuts him off in a harsh whisper. She flinches a little at the tone of it, but makes no move to apologize. It confuses him further.

 

“I can’t fix it if you don’t tell me what I did wrong,” he points out.

 

“You’ve done nothing wrong,” she replies coolly.

 

“Clearly I have,” he mumbles, and she flinches again. 

 

He approaches her slowly, like he would a wild animal. She neither backs away nor encourages him as he gets into her space. When Vanessa refuses to look up at him, Ethan places a finger under her chin and lifts it. She glares at him a little, but he doesn’t back down. 

 

“When I left your room this morning,” she swallows, taking a breath before continuing, “Sir Malcolm saw me.”

 

“Oh,” he breathes.

 

“In my undergarments,” she adds unnecessarily. Ethan winces, finally understanding what must be troubling her.

 

“Are you sure he saw-”

 

“He spoke to me,” she breaks free of him and turns away again, “We stood there for at least a minute, Ethan.”

 

“Oh fuck me,” he mutters, because he’s fairly certain at this point he’s gonna be dead by sundown. 

 

“Isn’t that what led us here?” she mumbles, a rhetorical question so soft that he barely hears it, but he does. It takes him a full minute to process the fact that she’d just made a lewd joke before he laughs in a manner that could only be described as borderline hysterical. She turns and shoots him a sharp look in response, and it forces him to sober himself.

 

“Do you really think he had no idea about what we are before this morning?” Ethan asks, because he’s fairly sure himself that the older man had known they were together. But knowing something and seeing such blatant evidence as Miss Ives leaving his room at sunrise in only her undergarments were two very different things, he muses, cringing internally. Yeah, he’s definitely gonna die by sundown.

 

“I am sure he knew,” she admits, her hands dropping from her arms. A wave of relief rushes through him; he is making progress towards calming her down.

 

“Okay, well,” he reaches out to grab her by the shoulders, running his hands soothingly down her covered arms, “It’ll be alright, Vanessa.”

 

“You know better,” she gives him a look.

 

“We’ll figure it out,” he sighs, as close to an agreement as she’s gonna get from him. She continues to frown, but when he pulls her in for a hug, rubbing circles into her back, she only leans into him further. One crisis has been averted for the time being. As for the other, more pressing matter, they’ll face it too. Even if he dies by sundown at the hands of her probably upset father figure, who he realizes was more aloof than usual when he’d seen him today. Ethan winces internally again, and as if sensing his growing fear, Vanessa shifts to wrap her arms around his neck and kiss him softly in reassurance. For once, he doesn’t try to deepen the kiss. 

 

The last thing they need right now is for Sir Malcolm to find them in his parlor.

 

-o-o-o-

 

“Mr. Talbot, may I have a word?” Sir Malcolm smiles at him dangerously and adds, “In private?”

 

It is after dinner, and the three of them had been in the parlor. The last of their guests had trickled out; Victor and Miss Hartdegen had just left, and Kaetenay had left even earlier, much to Ethan’s relief. The man had made it a point to get a moment alone with Ethan to nag him into confessing what was troubling him; he’d laughed harder than Ethan had ever seen him do before, and it had pissed him off, leading him to go help in the kitchen to avoid Kaetenay.

 

Miss Ives shoots him a worried look, and then shoots a look that is half concerned, half angered on his behalf at Sir Malcolm, who only stares at her back, giving nothing away. She turns her gaze back to Ethan for reassurance, and he gives her a small nod of encouragement. Vanessa stands gracefully, leaving and closing the parlor doors behind her. Ethan gulps as he turns to Sir Malcolm, whose serious expression has only further set on his face since Miss Ives had left. Ethan has half a mind to get up, grab her, and run out of the house, but he forces himself to stay put and get the confrontation over with.

 

“I’m sure Miss Ives has informed you of what occurred this morning,” Sir Malcolm breaks the uncomfortable silence that’s descended. Ethan finds himself simultaneously relieved and terrified that he is not the one to have to begin this conversation.

 

“She mentioned it,” he replies carefully. 

 

Sir Malcolm nods thoughtfully, “You must realize by now, that for all my faults, I do view her as a daughter of sorts.”

 

“I have.”

 

“So you must understand then,” Sir Malcolm leans towards him, a threatening look on his face, “That I have concerns about the nature of your… relationship, with her. It is highly improper, for a start. I must ask, what are your intentions with Miss Ives? Will I continue to risk seeing her stealing around this house in only her undergarments at the wee hours of the morning? I must say, I do not like that thought at all.”

 

Ethan winces, “We thought-”

 

“That I would not be awake to witness that display?” Sir Malcolm leans back into his chair, managing to look all the more threatening for doing so.

 

“Look, sir-” Ethan stops, shakes his head, takes a breath and starts again, “This thing we’ve got, it’s so new. We’re still figuring it out.”

 

“Do you intend to wed her?” Sir Malcolm asks.

 

“If she’d let me, in a heartbeat,” he responds without thought. They have not even put words to the feelings that have made them lovers, but Ethan has never been more certain of anything than his desire to spend the rest of his life with Vanessa, if she’ll have him.

 

Sir Malcolm nods, and Ethan can’t read if he’s approving of his answer but the older man presses on, “From everything we saw and heard, you leaving her hurt her in ways I am sure we do not fully know the extent of. Can you swear to me now, boy, that you’ll never leave her side again? I do not think I need mention the sizable collection of guns that I own, do I?”

 

“Your absence cut her as well,” Ethan replies without thinking, barreling on despite the incredulous look Sir Malcolm is sporting at his insolence, “I could ask the same of you, for what it’s worth. But I know what my leaving did, better than you. She cries in her sleep sometimes, so afraid from nightmares of the things she did. I will  _ never _ leave her again. I would sooner die than hurt her like that ever again.”

 

After his outburst, there is a tense silence. It is not awkward and thick with secrets as before, but it is all encompassing, and once more there is a stalemate. Then Sir Malcolm nods, more to himself Ethan thinks, and stands, looming over him. He gives him what could almost be called a smile, and claps a hand on his shoulder, squeezing it painfully hard.

 

“Now that we understand one another, I think we can move on. What do you say to a drink?” Sir Malcolm is already moving off of him to get a bottle of brandy. It’s not Ethan’s usual poison of choice, but the relief at having survived the conversation is so great he can’t say he minds.

 

-o-o-o-

 

Ethan nearly jumps out of his own skin when he enters his room and finds Miss Ives pacing around it. She starts as well at his entrance, relief clear on her face before she masks it. She is undoubtedly curious, but Ethan needs a moment to gather himself before he can relay their conversation to her. He takes the time to undress, amusement coursing through him at the way her eyes fix on his chest once it’s bared to her. He takes advantage of her momentary distraction to move closer. Ethan gathers Vanessa’s small body into his arms, and feels her let out a shaky breath against his chest. Then he feels her mouth there, her tongue flicking out, and he gently pushes her away; after the conversation he’d just gone through, he’s too spooked to give into his desire for her.

 

“What happened?” she asks, growing serious.

 

Ethan doesn’t answer for a long moment, taking her in. Miss Ives is stunning, whether she’s in the gowns and accouterments she wears like armor into the battle that is London’s upper class society, or as she is now: in a nightgown that’s too unbuttoned, her hair down and much shorter barefoot than in her boots. There’s that familiar furrow in her brow again, and a slight pout on her lips at his lack of forthcoming about what he’d discussed with Sir Malcolm that he wants to kiss. He reaches slowly to cradle her face in his hands, marveling at how small and soft her face is in comparison to how big and rough his hands are. She doesn’t seem to mind; she never has. 

 

Ethan leans in to kiss her, slowly. He takes his time, savoring the way she melts under his touch, mouth parting when his tongue sweeps across her lower lip. Ethan acquiesces, deepening the kiss for a while, until they have to pull apart to breathe. Their lips separate for only a moment before she leans back in, playfully nipping at his bottom lip. He pulls back, and she lets out a small whimper in protest. It is incredibly endearing, and his resistance almost crumbles, but his resolve to put words to what they’re doing is too great. He presses his forehead to hers for a long moment before pulling back, hands still cradling her face.

 

“I love you,” he tells her, softly.

 

“Ethan-”

 

“Vanessa,” he swallows back a wave of emotion threatening to overwhelm him, “I’ll tell you all about the very fatherly talking to I just got, but not now. Now I want to talk to you, about us. I know we haven’t said the words, and that we don’t really need to, but I can’t not say them anymore. I love you. I love you  _ so much _ -”

 

“I love you too, Ethan,” the smile on her face is so sweet, even with the hint of confusion in her blue eyes at what prompted this exchange. He huffs out a relieved laugh at her response.

 

The serious, puzzled look is back on her face as she asks, “What made you think to name this thing?”

 

“Sir Malcolm asked me what my intentions with you were,” he admits, “I realized, we hadn’t said those words. But I’m with you because I love you. And when we lay together, it’s because I love you, and I want to express my love through touchin’ you. My desire for you and my affection for you are one and the same.”

 

She doesn’t realize she’s crying a little until his thumbs are tenderly swiping the tears off her cheeks. His mouth finds Vanessa’s again, and when it deepens hands wander. He still pulls away from her. She gives him another puzzled look.

 

“Not tonight, darlin’,” he says, gently. A look of understanding comes over her face, followed by a teasing glint in her eye that spells danger.

 

“He scared you,” she states.

 

He doesn’t dignify it with a response, choosing instead to pick her up. She lets out a little yelp followed by a laugh as he carries her and deposits her roughly onto his bed. Ethan covers Vanessa’s body with his own, careful to keep the weight on his arms as he looks down at her, amused by the indignation on her face when he does nothing further.

 

“I love you,” she murmurs again, softening, a hand reaching to touch his cheek. He closes his eyes and leans into her touch, nuzzling his face against her hand. She laughs a little at the rough scratch of his beard against her delicate palm.

 

“Still not tonight,” he deadpans.

 

“I love you,” she repeats.

 

“Is that all you can say now?” he can’t help but play with her a little. She growls at him and shoves him off.

 

He falls on his back next to her, and she immediately climbs on top of him. She’s given up trying to seduce him, content simply in trying to burrow into him as close as she possibly can. Ethan wraps one arm around her waist, debating if it’s worth the struggle to get them under the blankets, tangled as they are. He decides against it as he buries his other hand into Vanessa’s hair, finding a way to pull her improbably closer. She hums a contented sigh against him, closing her eyes. The lights are still on, but they manage to sleep that night regardless, happy and at peace as they are with one another, safe in their mutual love.


	2. of love and marriage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marriage hadn’t been something he’d dare allow himself to consider, with how new and fragile this thing between them was. But now that the thought is there, it’s all he can think about. He wants to make her his wife, wants to give them both the security that such a formal and public status could bring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this took so long to post-school started really getting going, and I got sick again. Forgive me. I hope y'all think it was worth the wait though, and I promise to do my best to have the third chapter up sometime this weekend (I really, really want to finish this story fast because I doubt school will get any less intense soon). Without further ado, I hope you enjoy!

He wakes before Vanessa the next morning. She is still mostly on top of him, and he finds himself contemplating Sir Malcolm’s question about marriage. The truth is that he hadn’t really thought about it until Sir Malcolm had brought it up; Ethan had just known that he intended to spend the rest of his life with Miss Ives, if she’d have him. Marriage hadn’t been something he’d dare allow himself to consider, with how new and fragile this thing between them was. But now that the thought is there, it’s all he can think about. He wants to make her his wife, wants to give them both the security that such a formal and public status could bring.

 

Ethan thinks about their relationship. It had shifted so dramatically after he came back, after he saved her; he was still surprised at how fast she let him back into her life. They hadn’t become lovers right away; that had happened only about three weeks ago. But they'd shared his bed since he had brought her back; Vanessa was too frightened to sleep on her own anymore, and she had admitted to him she would feel safer with him next to her. And who was he to deny her that?

 

He could still remember her screaming, the first night. He’d thought her possessed at first, until he heard the sobbing that followed. She had thrashed in his grasp when he tried to restrain her, and all Ethan could think to do was to murmur her name over and over, until Vanessa had opened her eyes gasping. She had immediately clung to him, and him to her. He told her that she was safe, he remembers, and that it would be okay. Since that night almost two months ago, the nightmares have become less frequent. But they still happen, and he has learned how to better respond to them, to help her. He has learned, since a little over three weeks ago, that if he thoroughly tires her out she will sleep deeper and better. It’s an added bonus.

 

Ethan feels her beginning to stir against him. He unconsciously tightens his grip around her waist and feels more than hears the contented sigh she lets out against his collarbones. He waits for Miss Ives to wake fully; he loves these mornings best, when she is at her most unguarded with him, slow to wake and happily tangled with him. It is rare, especially these days, to see her so at peace. The fact that she is only this way around him both makes his heart clench in guilt for leaving her and surprised joy at her being so trusting and forgiving of it. It makes the beast within him stir, his protective and possessive instincts struggling to get out; these mornings make the beast want to mark her as his more than any other time. But Ethan pushes it down, knowing there is no need to do so, that Vanessa is his as much as any person can belong to someone else. And it goes both ways; he is hers, too.

 

He knows she’s really awake when she presses a kiss between his collarbones, shifting lower to kiss and flick her tongue at his sternum. Ethan pulls her back so he can see her face, and she smiles at him, predatory in a way that he’s come to adore. He meets Vanessa halfway to kiss her, and then neither of them think for a while, too busy getting lost in one another.

 

“Not so afraid this morning, are we my love?” she teases him afterwards. He frowns down at her but the smile on her face is so carefree he can’t say he truly minds her laughing at him.

 

Ethan rolls off of her and pulls her back onto him. This time, Vanessa drifts off for a little while longer. He lets her, seeing no reason to not give her this momentary respite.

 

He must’ve dozed off too, because when he wakes, she’s gone, and the sun is well past risen. Ethan takes his time dressing, and goes off in search of food and Miss Ives, in no particular order. He finds food first; after he’s done eating, he goes in search of Vanessa. He doesn’t find her, but he does find Sir Malcolm and Dr. Frankenstein.

 

“Good morning, Mr. Talbot,” Sir Malcolm says with a knowing gleam in his eye that immediately puts the younger man on edge.

 

“Morning, sir,” he responds, and nods to Victor, “Morning doctor.”

 

“Good morning,” Victor nods back.

 

“Where’s Miss Ives?” he asks.

 

“She left,” Sir Malcolm replies, “She did not say where to, or when to expect her return.”

 

Ethan nods, absorbing the information. He thinks back to his musings earlier that morning, and decides, fuck it. He’ll go out and see if he can find a ring. He doesn’t have to present it to her now; he just wants to have it for when it feels right. Decision made, he turns to the other two men and informs them, “I’m gonna head out, too. I’ll be back in a couple of hours.”

 

“Very good,” Sir Malcolm says absently, his mind occupied by whatever he and Dr. Frankenstein are doing. The young doctor mumbles something Ethan assumes is a goodbye, and with that, Ethan leaves.

 

It takes him longer than he’d ever admit to find a suitable jewelry store. Then it takes him even longer to find a ring that he likes. Most of them he finds either too plain or too showy. Finally, Ethan finds a ring that catches his eye; it is a simple, thin gold band with a small ruby on it. It is elegant, and different; just like Vanessa herself. He has never been more grateful to the salary being Sir Malcolm Murray’s hired gun makes as he buys it.

 

When Ethan returns, Vanessa has joined the two men in the parlor. He feels like the ring is burning a hole in his pocket when she meets his eyes and gives him a small smile. Ethan goes to join them in their discussion, hoping that she can’t read the secret he’s trying to keep from her.

 

-o-o-o-

 

It takes him a week to muster up the courage to go to Sir Malcolm. The older man had all but given his blessing already during their conversation, and Ethan knows Miss Ives will do what she wants; but he also knows the formality of the ritual is important.

 

He gets his chance after dinner when Vanessa decides to retire early, leaving him alone in the parlor with the older man. Ethan waits until he’s sure Vanessa has gone out of earshot before he asks to have a word with him. Sir Malcolm nods, regarding him curiously.

 

“Our discussion got me thinking,” Ethan starts, suddenly nervous.

 

“About?” Sir Malcolm asks, but that knowing gleam is back and Ethan realizes that Sir Malcolm must have an inkling about where this conversation is going to go.

 

“I’d like to ask you for your blessing to marry Miss Ives,” Ethan says, and is mildly relieved to hear how calm his voice sounds.

 

“You shall have it,” Sir Malcolm responds, and smiles. Ethan thinks he might even tear up a little.

 

“Thank you,” Ethan swallows, “I promise, I will make her happy.”

 

“You already do,” Sir Malcolm replies, “Is that all then?”

 

“Yes,” Ethan nods, “And if you don’t mind terribly, I’d like to head to bed now. I’m tired myself.”

 

“Very good.”

 

When Ethan stands, Sir Malcolm does as well. He squeezes Ethan’s shoulder, and then they both leave.

 

Vanessa is mostly asleep when he gets back to his room. He spends a long moment watching her before undressing and getting in the bed, doing his best not to jostle her. She moves towards him, pressing her face against his chest as he wraps his arms around her. Ethan presses a kiss to her hair and listens to her breathing even out, thinking of how best to propose to her. Eventually he cannot deny his own exhaustion, and matches his breaths to hers until he too is asleep.

 

-o-o-o-

 

The opportunity comes almost two weeks later. He had taken her for a walk through the park and they’d gotten back to an empty house, a rarity in the afternoon. They decided to pass the time in the parlor talking, and during a lapse in conversation he knew it was time. He’d carried the ring with him almost everywhere, too afraid of her stumbling upon it before he was ready to give it to her.

 

“I want to ask you something,” Ethan starts, and Vanessa turns to him. Her brow furrows, sensing the shift in their conversation to something more serious. Ethan leans forward to kiss the furrow, and feels her relax slightly. Then he gets off the sofa and onto his knees in front of her.

 

“Ethan…” she breathes, realizing where this might be headed.

 

He takes both of her hands in his and rests them on her lap. Ethan looks up at her, and spends a long moment with just their eyes locked. Sensing the growing impatience in her, he takes a deep breath and says, “I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Vanessa Ives, if you’d let me. And I’d like to do so as your husband, because I’d like to give you the security that that title could give. So if you’d have me, then Miss Ives, would you marry me?”

 

“Yes,” she tries and fails not to cry a little as he remembers the ring, taking it out of the pocket of the jacket he’s still wearing.

 

He opens the box and slides the ring onto her finger, and she pulls him up to kiss him, long and hard. Ethan happily obliges.

 

-o-o-o- 

 

Miss Ives is the one to find a church that’ll accept a man who wasn’t raised Catholic and a woman who had fallen, somewhat, out of the faith, and she manages to do so in slightly less than two weeks. Even still, the church won’t let them wed for six weeks, and so two months go by after their engagement before their wedding date. Ethan and Vanessa spend the time preparing; the ceremony will be small, of course, but there are little things, like Vanessa giving up all pretenses and moving all of her important stuff into Ethan’s room one afternoon. They both agree her room is too haunted to start their new life in.

 

For her part, Vanessa does not want to wear a wedding dress on her wedding day. The thought makes her skin crawl in a way she can’t quite explain, but when she informs Ethan that she will not wear a wedding dress, he just smiles and jokes about how as long as it ain’t black, darlin’, he could care less. It makes her marvel at how lucky she’s gotten to have him, to marry him. In the end, the dress she chooses is a deep green. It also not her usual color, but she finds it more suitable than a traditional wedding dress.

 

Finally, the day comes. They’d both agreed to spend the night separately, so Vanessa spends the night in her now mostly empty room. Neither of them had slept particularly well for it.

 

Vanessa was grateful that the dress she’d chose was not particularly elaborate in any way that required help getting in or out of it. Even still, she took her time getting ready; their wedding would be in the early afternoon. Ethan would leave for the church first, and then she would leave with Sir Malcolm later on. The others would meet them at the church.

 

The time before the wedding seemed to blur together. Too soon Sir Malcolm had come upstairs to see if she was ready to leave. He stopped short at the sight of her, swallowing past a lump of unexpected emotion suddenly lodged in his throat.

 

“You are a beautiful bride,” he states when she sends him a confused look at his sudden freeze.

 

She flushes and gives a shy smile as she replies, “Thank you.”

 

Sir Malcolm spends another long moment taking her in. She looks so young, practically glowing with happiness. He can’t help but feel the same happiness spread like warmth through him in return.

 

“Shall we then?” he asks, taking a deep breath to calm himself. Vanessa nods, reaching out to link their arms as they leave.

 

The ride seems too short as well, and yet Vanessa finds herself growing impatient the closer to their destination they get. The anticipation builds until she’s as close to giddy as she’s ever been about it. She is somewhat amused and perplexed with herself. Until Ethan, she’d never even considered being somebody’s bride. She’d never wanted to; that type of a life just wasn’t for people like her, she’d reasoned. She hadn’t even known what love really was until him; it wasn’t a war, two people vying for domination over the other. It was about being close to someone else, about wanting to give as much as you took from that other person. It was the quiet contentment of waking up next to your lover after a night of ecstasy; it was hushed conversations in the parlor after everyone else had left or gone to bed, passing a lit cigarette between them; it was the way he held her after a nightmare, and the way she spent the night in the cellar with him during a transformation. Marriage was not something that was necessary, but it was something that would formalize their bond, both in the eyes of their God (fallen from the faith as they both may have been) and of society.

 

When they arrived, Sir Malcolm stepped out first, helping her out of the carriage. He would be walking her down the aisle, of course. For the first time, she felt some nerves about the whole thing, and she reached out to grip his arm. He turned to her, his expression softening, understanding without her needing to say it what was going on.

 

“I was never a good husband,” Sir Malcolm states, “However, it wasn’t all bad. I still remember how happy Gladys and I were on our wedding day. Ethan is a good man, and I have no doubt that he will make a fine husband as well.”

 

Miss Ives nodded, taking in a shaky breath. She willed herself not to cry from the overwhelming jumble of emotions she felt; excitement, nervousness, happiness, and so much love for the man who was her father figure and the man she was to wed. She marveled again about how lucky she was, to have found a family like she had. Even when it was broken and scattered, even when they hurt more than they healed, she would not have traded any of them for the world.

 

As soon as they entered the church, her eyes searched for Ethan. He was staring at her intently, the love on his face clear as day. And then the walk down the aisle was completed, Sir Malcolm placing her hand on Ethan’s, and they looked at one another as the priest began the ceremony.

 

-o-o-o-

 

Ethan would have to admit, he hadn’t actually heard very much of the ceremony being performed. He was too focused on Vanessa. On the way she radiated joy, on the way she appeared more at peace than he’d ever seen her. The way the afternoon light through the high windows of the church reflected the slight sheen of tears in her blue eyes. He might have to admit he also had some tears in his eyes as well, staring at her, his bride. How could he not? Cliche though it may be, he thought that he must be the luckiest man alive to get to marry her. Especially given his curse, and the blood on his hands.

 

They both had their curses, their darkness. Both lived in fear of the things they were capable of. But he was her protector, and so loving her was natural. The darkness within them was twined, yes, but it was the light in their souls that kept them together; when they were together, they were stronger, the best part of themselves coaxed out. They were together by a combination of fate and choice.

 

He could not remember most of the ceremony, but he could remember every emotion that he felt and that flitted across her face during it. He could remember the flush of surprise when at the end he’d kissed her, and she’d kissed him back. One of their friends coughed and they’d pulled apart reluctantly.

 

They signed the marriage license after, to be filed by Sir Malcolm the next day. They thanked the priest profusely, and made their way out, back to Grandage Place, their friends following.

 

They spent a while with everyone else in the parlor on the same sofa. A cake had been made that they all ate, Ethan taking delight and relief in the fact that Vanessa devoured two slices, unheeding of the company. Over the course of the next few hours, people slowly began to trickle out one by one. The sun was setting, and Ethan, Vanessa, and Sir Malcolm were the only people left in the parlor. The conversation died as the door shut behind Dr. Frankenstein.

 

“Right,” Sir Malcolm coughed out into the silence that became more awkward by the minute, “I think I’ll be going then.”

 

He got up, unsure of where to go for a moment, standing there. He decided upon the library, and with his decision made, he left.

 

There was a different kind of anticipation now that the newlyweds were alone. It seemed as if Ethan and Vanessa were waiting to see who would give in and guide the other to the next step.

 

It was Vanessa who eventually did, standing herself. She smiled sweetly down at him and offered him her hand. He took it, standing. He immediately took her face in his hands and kissed her, slow and deep.

 

“Thank you,” he murmured when they broke the kiss.

 

Her brow furrowed in confusion, she asked, “For what?”

 

“You’ve made me the luckiest man alive,” he stated, as if it should be obvious.

 

The smile on her face returned, larger, and she huffed a laugh, teasing, “I could say the same thing, Ethan. I am the luckiest woman alive to be your bride.”

 

He leaned in to kiss her again. It grew more heated, and this time when they pulled back they had to catch their breath. He realized he was still holding her hand, and used it to tug her out of the parlor, up the stairs to their room.


	3. of desire and the night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The very air around them seems thick with desire, a sort of tension in it as soon as the bedroom door closes behind them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As an apology for taking so long to finish this story, have the final chapter a day after the second one. Enjoy!

The very air around them seems thick with desire, a sort of tension in it as soon as the bedroom door closes behind them. Vanessa breaks it by reaching out to push his jacket off his shoulders. She continues undressing him until he is just in his trousers. She kisses his throat, licks at his shoulder, scrapes her teeth playfully across one of his nipples in a way that makes him shudder and tighten his grip on her waist. He gently pushes her back, and begins to undress her, starting by taking the pins from her hair. He bends to take off her shoes and takes off his own as well, standing up again slowly.

 

Ethan looks at her once she is fully bare to him. The last vestiges of light through the window fall unevenly upon her skin. There is a hunger in her eyes as his own roam over her nude form. He finds himself already mostly hard just from looking at her, and the beast inside urges him to take her. He gives in halfway, moving and picking her up easily. She lets out a noise of surprise that he swallows as he kisses her again. She moans as his tongue pushes roughly into her mouth. Ethan moves them back to the bed, turning and breaking the kiss so he can place her down on it. He made quick work of removing his trousers before joining her on the bed, wasting no time to cover Vanessa’s body with his own, kissing her again.

 

She catches his bottom lip between her teeth and pulls slightly, drawing a groan out of him. She wraps herself around him and rolls them so that she’s on top of him. He reaches up to brush some of her hair out of her face. She smiles at the action, a smile that turns positively feral as she moves to kiss her way down his neck. She alternates brushing kisses with playful nips of her teeth and flicks of her tongue. At the juncture between his right shoulder and his neck she bites and sucks hard enough to leave a mark. Afterwards she licks her tongue across the wound, and he pulls her back by her hair to look upon her face again.

 

He sits up enough to take one of her nipples into his mouth. She keens, back arching at the contact. Her fingers tangle in his short hair so tightly it’s almost painful, holding him to her breast. One of his hands on her back slides lower to squeeze at her ass at the same time he drags his teeth across her nipple. She lets out a loud moan, grinding her hips down against him, the grip on his hair loosening enough for him to pull back. Vanessa grabs his head and shifts to kiss him hard, pushing him back down to the bed.

 

He grabs her and rolls them over so she is once again on her back. Ethan kisses his way down her body, all the way to her hips. He kisses each one in turn, and then turns his attention to her inner thighs. Her body trembles with anticipation. Ethan gives into the beast’s urge to mark her, leaving a bite on the skin of her inner thigh that has her gasping out his name at the intensity of the pleasure and pain that rushes through her at the contact, heat pooling between her legs.

 

He presses a kiss to the soft thatch of hair between her thighs, resting there for a moment. Then he moves, hooking one of her thighs over his shoulder and nudging the other one further apart so he can taste her. At the first pass of his tongue along the seam of her, Vanessa lets out a strangled noise, hips moving so violently she almost dislodges him. He gently places a hand to her lower belly to still her, and then buries his mouth between her legs.

 

Almost instantly her hand fists in his hair, keeping him in place as he explores her folds with his tongue. The fire within her burned hotter and hotter, and she was so close to what promised to be one of the most blindingly intense orgasms of her life, but it was not quite enough.

 

“More,” she manages to rasp out.

 

Ethan obliged, moving the hand keeping her hips still and pushing two fingers inside her, curling them inside her as he sucked hard at her most sensitive spot. She came yelling his name so loudly he hoped like hell no one was close enough to hear it. He continued licking at her as she came down, panting, and then untangled himself, resting his head against her soft belly as he waited for her to return back to herself. One of her hands came back to his hair, stroking it softly as they lay like that for an indeterminate amount of time. Ethan’s cock twitched with anticipation, so hard he was almost aching for release; and yet there was no impatience to be found within him, content as he was to just revel in the intimacy of the moment.

 

Eventually the hand in his hair tugged, encouraging him to move upwards to kiss her. Careful to rest his weight on his arms he happily complied. Vanessa let out a small whimper at the taste of herself on his tongue, licking her way into his mouth to chase after the taste. He found it as endearing and arousing as it always was when she did this after he’d made her come in his mouth.

 

Her legs moved to wrap around his waist, grinding her center up against him. Ethan groaned into Vanessa’s mouth as he suddenly became aware of how painfully turned on he was. He wrapped his arms around her and sat up with her in his lap. She broke the kiss and leaned down to lick his neck. He pushed her back, neither gentle or rough, just firm. The look on her face was wicked in response to this slight power play. Still, she acquiesced.

 

They moved, clumsy with desire, until he was positioned at her entrance. They locked eyes as he pushed into her. They held for a moment like that, relishing in the bliss that came with joining this way. There was an added layer to this joy; the knowledge that this was the first time they were like this as husband and wife. Ethan wanted to be buried so deep in Vanessa that he forgot where he ended and she began.

 

“I love you,” he whispered to her, his voice rough with arousal.

 

“I love you too,” she replied, voice equally as soft and wrecked.

 

They began to move shortly thereafter, quickly finding a comfortable and steady rhythm, as in sync as they were. He kept one hand on her back, the other moving to grip her ass firmly, bearing her down on him as hard as he dared. Vanessa didn’t seem to mind, nails raking across the skin of his upper back in response to his manipulations. She captured his earlobe between her teeth and Ethan growled, his own nails digging into her back, dragging a whimper from her lips.

 

Their rhythm became more frantic as they both neared their climaxes. Vanessa would lift until he nearly slipped out of her and then slam back down again. He thrust upwards in response, gripping her so tightly that the part of him not lost to the animalistic instinct to fuck her hard enough to make her scream again wondered and worried if he’d leave bruises on her delicate skin. But then Ethan couldn’t think anymore as her nails dug harder into his back, and he knew she was close again. It took all of his willpower to stave off his orgasm, but he intended to take her with him over that peak.

 

He bent forward to kiss the top of her breast, her shoulder, her neck, behind her jaw; all the secret places he knew were the most sensitive. Ethan gave in completely to his (or the beast’s, he was so lost that he could not be entirely sure from whom this urge came from) desire to fuck her hard, pushing her onto her back and gripping at the headboard for leverage. Vanessa’s back arched and she let out an unintelligible scream as she came again. Ethan spilled into her with a hoarse utterance of her name immediately after.

 

Ethan moved away from the headboard, pulling out of her, and then he grabbed her and turned her so they lay side by side; he was too spent to hold himself up any longer. They kissed, slow and almost lazy as the sweat on their skin began to cool and they both felt the exhaustion following their release creeping up on them. When they broke the kiss, he moved and pulled Vanessa on top of him. She buried her face in his neck, and they both clung to one another.

 

“I love you,” she murmured sleepily into his skin. He smiled and pressed a kiss to the top of her head in response.

 

“I love you too, Mrs. Talbot,” he marveled at the title. Ethan had held no love for his surname, but it had made no sense for her not to take it. Besides, he found himself more fond of it now that it was attached to Vanessa.

 

She hummed contentedly against him in response. Ethan felt himself drifting off as well, and gave into the exhaustion. There would be more time to spend like this, after all, now that they were wed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh man it's been FOREVER since I managed to finish a work with multiple chapters, you have no idea how good it feels. But even though the story is relatively short, I did not think it made sense to make it all in one chapter; there were three prompts and the bonus smut I wanted to write, and I felt like that was too much at once. So I broke it up and put the added wedding night chapter as a separate chapter from the second because I didn't think this fic needed plotless porn, I just wanted to write it.
> 
> Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this, and I hope I'll be able to continue writing more frequently and actually finishing things. :)


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